Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 433,980 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33,760 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of Xcel Energy worth $29,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in XEL. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. 78.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Xcel Energy Stock Performance

Xcel Energy stock opened at $70.76 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $67.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $40.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.43. Xcel Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.79 and a twelve month high of $73.38.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Xcel Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Xcel Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on XEL. Barclays decreased their price target on Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Xcel Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.91.

Xcel Energy Profile

Xcel Energy Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchasing, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility, and All Other segments. The company generates electricity through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy sources, as well as coal, natural gas, oil, wood, and refuse-derived fuels.